just a young woman finding her place in this world.

please don’t be scared…remember that i’m here

earlier tonight, i was at my aunt and uncle’s house visiting them. i would say it was around 10:30pm when this happened: my cousins who are in elementary school had gone to bed already, but the older one kept waking up and coming out of his room. we then heard what sounded like a distant gunshot, and he got really scared. he was clearly distressed and kept asking us all to be quiet, as if every noise contributed to his fear. i had never seen him like that before. he started pulling at his hair out of stress and shot glances at me for comfort. all i knew to do was to just smile and shake my head no, as if nothing bad in this world exists.

i remember feeling the way he did in that moment as a kid, constantly on edge and fearful of events and situations that were never in my control. i have to say it felt comforting knowing that i could comfort him…that i could fill in that role for him that i never had when i was growing up as a kid. life’s all about helping others. i knew what he was feeling and how to help him, so i did. it’s just what we do. it was certainly a bonding moment. i was honored to be his rock, and i hope to be more people’s rocks as life goes on.